Danzo Shimura's consciousness hesitated for a moment before he breathed a sigh of relief. It really was the Underworld!
Look, wasn't that familiar figure the deceased First Hokage, Hashirama Senju?
Oh, and over here was his late teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
Even the deceased legendary ninja, Madara Uchiha, was here.
Not only that, but he also saw the long-dead Kage of other ninja villages, as well as his two old comrades, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
They seemed to be confronting someone.
'It seems the Underworld isn't so peaceful either,' Danzo sneered inwardly.
His gaze continued to shift, landing on Tsunade, Jiraiya, and that rogue disciple, Orochimaru.
'Oh? Even the Sannin are dead?'
An indescribably strange feeling welled up in Danzo's heart.
'That damn Uchiha brat was too strong after all. To think he turned the Hidden Leaf upside down and killed so many people.'
However, this was fine too.
Now that the Hidden Leaf's higher-ups had lost all their combat power, once he found a way to resurrect himself, wouldn't the position of Hokage be easily within his grasp?
He, Danzo Shimura, would eventually become the man standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.
Wait, something was wrong!
If they were all dead, why couldn't he move?
Moreover, why was everyone looking at him with such bizarre expressions?
That mix of shock, anger, pity, and a hint of suppressed amusement—who was that directed at?
Finally realizing something was amiss, he followed everyone's gaze and struggled to look down at himself.
Then, he saw a flowerpot where his lower body should be.
And he himself was currently "planted" inside it.
He was doomed! He wasn't dead.
And this wasn't the Underworld either.
To avoid this public execution-like scenario, Danzo, whose mind had navigated the Ninja World for decades, spun incredibly fast. At this moment, he made the wisest decision of his life.
He immediately squeezed his eyes shut and chose to play dead right then and there.
'As long as I can't see them, I'm not the one who's embarrassed.'
The atmosphere in the entire room plunged into a deathly, awkward silence.
Only Ian, standing in the corner, had his shoulders trembling slightly as if he was trying his hardest to hold back his laughter.
Ultimately, it was Tobirama Senju who broke this eerie silence.
Too lazy to spare another glance at his useless disciples, a terrifying murderous aura erupted from his body.
He walked step by step until he stood before the pale-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Tell me."
"Why has the Hidden Leaf, which I personally placed in your hands, become what it is today?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's body trembled violently, his lips quivering non-stop, yet he couldn't utter a single word.
With a heavy thud.
This former "Hero of the Shinobi" felt his legs give out under his teacher's oppressive aura, falling directly to his knees.
"Hmph, Tobirama," Madara Uchiha, who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed, let out a merciless sneer.
"You really know how to pick your disciples."
"Just look at how well he's managed the village."
Izuna Uchiha, completely ignoring the farce over there, walked up to Ian and asked.
"Are you Ian Uchiha?"
"How is the Uchiha clan doing now?"
His tone carried a trace of worry and anticipation.
"The Uchiha?" Ian replied.
"The Uchiha of today are no longer what they used to be."
"I reckon that sending just two random clansmen over would be enough to raze the current Hidden Leaf to the ground."
"Brat! Are you serious?" Hashirama Senju subconsciously retorted upon hearing this, the majesty belonging to the God of Shinobi unconsciously radiating from him.
"With Madara and me here, the Hidden Leaf is an impenetrable fortress!"
"It could never be taken down so easily!"
Ian raised his head, looking at this legendary First Hokage with a disdainful gaze.
"I already took you guys into consideration."
"Otherwise, sending just a single Uchiha clansman would be enough to steamroll the Hidden Leaf."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked!
Doubt surfaced simultaneously on the faces of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
They felt an unprecedented level of contempt directed at them.
Two world-destroying bursts of chakra erupted from the two of them at the same time, causing the very space around them to distort.
"Brat," Madara Uchiha said, the battle intent in his pupils boiling like fire as a domineering aura that ruled the world spread out.
"Have you ever witnessed our true power?"
"Heh." Ian met his gaze head-on, his imposing manner not the least bit inferior.
"And have you ever witnessed the power of the Uchiha in this era?"
Right at that moment, a cold, hoarse voice drifted over from the side.
Black Zetsu, who had been lurking in the shadows, finally couldn't hold back from revealing himself. He sneered at Ian.
"Brat, don't be too arrogant."
"A mere Mangekyo is not worth mentioning in the face of true power."
"Lord Madara's power far exceeds your imagination!"
Madara Uchiha also nodded proudly. In his eyes, although the Mangekyo Sharingan was strong, it ultimately had its limits.
Only the Rinnegan could stand above all else!
Watching the two of them echo each other, the corners of Ian's mouth curled up in disdain, as if he were looking at two clowns putting on a desperate performance.
He slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over Madara and Black Zetsu.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, the bizarre and complex Mangekyo pattern in his eyes began to slowly spin and fade away.
Replacing it were concentric rings of purple ripples.
The Rinnegan!
The arrogance on Madara Uchiha's face vanished instantly as he stared fixedly at Ian's Rinnegan.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu's heart was churning with stormy seas.
These eyes were brimming with vitality!
They were definitely not transplanted!
He had... he had evolved them himself!
How was that possible?
After a brief moment of shock, Madara Uchiha's expression instantly shifted from disbelief to wild ecstasy!
He had waited for this!
He had finally found the perfect executor to realize his ultimate ideal!
"That's right! Those are the eyes!"
Madara's voice trembled slightly from excitement. He took a step forward and began to pitch his peace plan to Ian.
"Use those eyes, combined with the power of the Gedo Statue, to cast the light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi across the world!"
"Create a perfect world with no war, no pain, where everyone can achieve happiness!"
Black Zetsu also fanned the flames from the side, urging him with an incredibly eager tone.
"Inherit this great ideal that can save the world! It will bring eternal balance to the world!"
However, in the face of their fanaticism, Ian looked at them the entire time with a gaze reserved for idiots.
That look caused Madara's voice to grow quieter and quieter, his passion gradually fading, even making him start to doubt himself—had he said something wrong?
Finally, Ian spoke, raising his first important question.
"Some people are born evil. They don't deserve happiness; they only deserve the most agonizing death."
"How does your plan deal with these people?"
"Let them continue to satisfy their filthy desires in a beautiful illusion?"
Then, Ian raised his second point.
"Moreover, human greed knows no bounds; people's desires are endless."
"How can a stagnant, fake illusory world satisfy people's ever-growing desires?"
"When desires can no longer be satisfied, what is the difference between the people in the illusion and prisoners in reality?"
"Also, how are their physical bodies supposed to survive?"
"Their physical bodies can be sustained by the energy provided by the Ten-Tails' chakra," Madara subconsciously defended, but as for the first question, he didn't know how to refute it.
Ian slowly shook his head, then threw out the most crucial question.
"You must have learned about this plan from the stone tablet passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan, right?"
Madara subconsciously nodded.
"Since the stone tablet has such detailed records, it proves that long before you, someone else had already attempted this plan."
"So here comes the question."
"Why isn't the current world your so-called peaceful illusion?"
"This proves there is only one answer."
"And that is, this plan is completely unrealistic!"
Madara Uchiha was left speechless.